A Cup For Us
by strawnilla
Summary: It's a quaint little coffeehouse a bit uptown, the place where the two of them always agreed to meet. They are still meeting there, really. On the same day, at the same time –- except that one of them doesn't realize it yet.


i will never let the fact that i started writing this in a plane in the skies down

* * *

Kiri takes a deep breath. It's his first day working here, on a Sunday on top of that, but he's managed to hang on well into the evening even though the expected rush of people is kind of too much for a newbie like him. He needs this job, after all, so he has to work hard to keep it. He walks towards a table by the glass panel windows with a tray of drinks in hand and he smiles despite his nerves.

"Here's your order, sir."

The young man places two white cups on the table, one filled with coffee and the other with tea. The customer, a man with navy blue and red hair and golden eyes, nods absentmindedly without so much as thanking him. He takes a sip from the cup of coffee.

Kiri wonders why the man ordered two cups but leaves the cup of tea on the other side of the table, where the sunlight wraps around the seating in a golden ray. He thinks maybe the customer is waiting for someone, so he leaves the matter at that and continues on with his work.

The next Sunday, at the same time at five, the customer comes again and orders a cup of coffee and a cup of tea.

He is curious.

Last time, nobody had come in to sit with the golden eyed man. It was sunset by the time the man left, and when Kiri went to clean his table he found the cup of tea to be untouched. It seemed like a waste, but the tea had gone far too cold and it wasn't right anyway to drink it, he thinks. He's sure it's against some kind of policy out there.

But maybe this time someone will come. So he smiles as practiced, serves the drinks at the same table as last time, and continues his work while keeping a watchful eye on the doors and the customer.

The sun disappears behind the horizon and so does the lone customer along with it. The table is cleared and Kiri throws away the tea, noting again how cold it has become.

That particular customer's behaviour is peculiar and it takes his interest. Another week comes by, and then another and the routine repeats itself like a video rewind. When it becomes one month and two weeks, Kiri decides to turn to his senior co-workers for answers.

"The weird customer?" one of the baristas, Kuguru, looks up from grinding a new batch of Arabica coffee beans. She stops the machine, turning off the switch too. Her forehead creases in confusion.

"Yeah, the one who comes every Sunday and orders two cups for himself but—"

"Only drinks the coffee and ignores the tea?" a new voice joins them, walking out of the kitchen area. Baku wipes his hands on his apron. "Thought you'd ask about him sooner or later," he says. There's a solemn look on his face. He exchanges a melancholic look with Kuguru, who nods her head.

She turns to look at him and her eyes are hard. "We're not exactly friends with him, but he's been a regular customer for as long as we can remember."

* * *

 _The chimes of the door's bells rang through the humble new café as a customer walked in. Baku looked up from behind the cash register, knocked out of his daydream for his weekend plans. He saw the blue haired customer approach a table by the window. A dine-in customer, huh._

 _The only waiter during Friday for the current moment, Baku took the café's black leather menu before he walked towards the customer. He greeted the other with a smile that Kuguru made him exercise and handed him the menu. "Good evening, sir. Welcome to Aibo Café."_

 _The customer looked up and Baku found it hard to miss the red eyes. The man smiled back at the waiter. "Thank you," he said and Baku lefts him to think on his order._

 _A while later he returns. "Are you ready to order, sir?"_

 _"Actually, I'm waiting for someone. So if you don't mind…?"_

 _"Certainly, sir."_

 _He left the customer again._

 _It took some time but then a bubbly customer walked in through the doors with a rush that one would have deemed unfit for the tranquillity that was offered by the café. Baku raised his eyebrows at the man with navy blue and red hair._

 _"Hey!" the newcomer exclaimed when he saw the blue haired man and made his way towards him. The one sitting smiled brightly at him._

 _"I thought you'd never come."_

 _"Are you kidding me? I just got lost, that's all."_

 _They both laughed._

 _It's not like Baku meant to eavesdrop. It's just that the table the two customers were sitting at was quite close to the counter and cash register, where he was idling about as he waited to be called on. Kuguru had it easy, he thought, only handling the food and drinks. The café just opened after all, and there was not much reception. Being the only two workers, excluding the café owner Mr. Neginoyama who only came to help when the work really got too much, they managed quite well with the traffic._

 _The two men looked over the menu together. Baku was checking the few numbers of receipts from today as he watched them to make himself look occupied. The man who came later was wearing a high school uniform, he noticed, from a school in the town next door. The other one with red eyes, he wasn't in any particular uniform, just a shirt and jeans._

 _The blue haired one raised his hand and turned his head to look at Baku._

 _He scrambled for his pen and notepad._

 _"Can we have a cup of coffee and tea?"_

 _"And a blueberry cheesecake to go with that?"_

 _That was his first time meeting them._

 _The next Friday, they weren't there. When Sunday rolled in, Kuguru met them next._

 _Sometime during the weekday, she and Baku had made an arrangement. Each new month, they'd swap their jobs to see who had it easier. That was why back then, Kuguru was the one on the front with the cash register and pen._

 _It was evening when the doors opened to a navy blue and red haired customer. He walked over to the table by the window and sat facing the counter. As Baku had taught her, she took the menu and placed it in front of the customer. "Hello and welcome to Aibo Café!" she said cheerfully._

 _He smiled at her. "Thanks. I don't think I saw you last week. Are you new?"_

 _Surprised by the question, she managed to shake her head. Was he flirting with her? She couldn't tell. For all she knew he never came last week and this was his first time here. Nonetheless she answered with a smile, out of the need to be polite. "No, I worked in the kitchen last week."_

 _"Ah, that explains it."_

 _She bowed her head and left the man._

 _She decided she already gave the man enough time to decide and picked up her pen when the bells chimed and another man walked in. He had blue hair, she noted, and he went right up to the first man with a smile._

 _"I can't believe you beat me here," the new customer said as he sat._

 _The one with golden eyes grinned. "It's not like you to be tardy."_

 _"Oh shush."_

 _They went into a delightful chatter that Kuguru tuned out. It'd be rude of her to listen to what they're saying, so she busied herself with her tablet and waited to be called on. But the one thing she did notice when they started talking was that the both of them had a glint in their eyes that told her how much they meant to one another._

 _They kept coming after that. Every Sunday, one would see them walk in either before the other or together. And Kuguru and Baku couldn't even point out when exactly 'May I take your order?' turned into 'Are you having the usual?'_

 _And the usual always consisted of a cup of coffee and a cup of tea._

 _There were days when neither of them would talk much and there were days where their conversations would light up like fireworks in the night sky. It was fun to watch them. It felt like the two café workers knew them personally, but not quite._

 _It was nice. They became a part of the café, a part of the staff's lives, without even trying. Kuguru and Baku always found themselves anticipating the couple's return._

 _Until that Sunday happened._

 _Baku was at the counter that day. He was wiping a porcelain mug clean with a cloth, humming the tune of a new catchy song on the radio. There weren't many customers, as usual, and Baku quite enjoyed the day. The sun was almost setting however, and he still hadn't seen any sign of the duo._

 _Ever since he met them, they never missed a Sunday here in the café. So he couldn't help but felt intrigued. He already got himself used to their faces and their voices during this time of the day and not seeing or hearing them then felt weird. Like his week couldn't be complete without them._

 _Maybe it was just an anomaly. Maybe one of them got too busy to come this week so they cancelled. Maybe one of them was sick. Who knew? There were millions of possibilities. Baku didn't mind which, as long as they came again next week._

 _He hoped for too much._

 _The bells chimed. He looked up and he couldn't help the smile when he saw the familiar tuft of navy blue and red hair. The not-so-stranger-customer was wearing a black suit, which Baku thought was a peculiar choice considering he almost always wore casual sporty clothes or a gakuran, but the tie was loose and the sleeves of his blazer were rolled up._

 _Baku's smile wavered slightly when the guy walked right up to the counter instead of sitting at their usual table. The brunet had to admit, the regular looked like a mess. His hair was dishevelled and there were bags under his golden eyes, like he hasn't slept in days. It was kind of concerning._

 _Baku almost forgot to greet him too. "Uh, um, welcome. Are you, uh, going to have the usual?"_

 _It took seconds for the customer to nod. It took Baku longer to key it in._

 _"Um, you're dining-in, right?"_

 _"…Uh, yeah. I mean, no, I...I'll have them to go."_

 _"Right. Take a seat; it'll be ready in a moment."_

 _The customer paid, Kuguru got the orders ready, and he left, still looking as miserable as ever. Baku watched him as he went, curious as to what had happened to him. He'd never seen him like that before. Granted, Baku didn't know him well enough. Okay, Baku didn't know him at all. He didn't even know his name._

 _But it still worried him._

 _From then on, the regulars never came as a pair anymore. In fact, neither Baku nor Kuguru had seen the blue haired and red eyed one since. They never knew what happened. They never had the guts to ask._

* * *

Kiri blinks. "Whoa…"

"Yeah," Baku says. "Whoa."

"So," Kiri says, "You're telling me he's been coming here alone since then?"

Kuguru nods her head. "Pretty much. We want to know what happened…"

"But it's best if we leave it at that." Baku took off his apron. "And that's the end of that story. Are you two sure you're okay by yourselves tonight?"

Kuguru waves him off. "Of course we'll be fine. Get going, you deserve this small break."

Baku shrugs, bids them good night, and disappears into the back of the café to pack up for the day. Kiri and Kuguru continue with whatever jobs they have left—cleaning the equipment, chairs and tables, serving the late customers—and the entire time, Kiri couldn't get the lone man and his strange habits out of his mind.

It has to be weeks since he asked, he thinks. Maybe a month or so, he can't tell. Maybe even less. But his life goes on in the café and outside the café. The lone man still comes, and Kiri finds that his curiosity isn't quite quenched. He tries to act indifferent but he can't help it. He does have self-preservation however, and knows his manners and when he should or shouldn't stick his nose into other people's business (years of school taught him that).

And then the new guy appears.

Kiri didn't think much of him at first. He's tall with long hair, looking almost too elegant for a guy. He's also another college student that's making ends meet, just like him. During introductions, Kiri made note to remember his name.

Shosetsu Kirisame.

To say he didn't get along with the rest of the crew would be a misunderstanding. They worked well together as a team. He gets the job done and asks questions when he think he's done something wrong. It's just that he keeps to himself so much that Kiri doesn't even dare ask what college he's attending.

Its two weeks after Shosetsu started working here that he finally asks about the lone golden eyed man.

Baku and Kuguru retells the story they told Kiri to him, albeit with Baku commenting that he expected Shosetsu to ask about him much later. Shosetsu keeps quiet after that, his eyes trailing back to where the lone man was sitting. The long haired man's eyebrows are furrowed, like deep in thought, and it is the first time Kiri ever saw any other expression on his face.

* * *

Shosetsu stares at the clock on the wall. It's been a week since he asked his co-workers about the man he often saw on Sunday evenings, and the time for the man to arrive would come soon. He averts his gaze to the table he always sat at and he squint his eyes, trying to see.

…Nothing yet.

The bells chime and his target walks in, the same stoic face he's gotten used to. He sees one of his co-workers, Kiri, pick up his notebook to 'take' his order and he quickly puts a hand out to stop him.

"Let me," he says and Kiri, though with a surprised face, nods.

When Shosetsu turns his gaze to the table and the golden eyed man again, he blinks, and he sees what he was hoping for.

A man with silky blue hair stares at the regular sitting in front of him with his bright red eyes, an expression of melancholy on his face. His description fits the one Baku and Kuguru gave Shosetsu, and he has no doubts regarding the missing piece of the story they told him.

He walks up to the table and says, "Are you having the usual, sir?"

The man nods. Before Shosetsu left, he catches the blue-haired man with the red eyes mumble, _"A blueberry cheesecake would be nice too… You used to love that, didn't you?"_

Shosetsu clenches his fist.

When he's back at the counter and the kitchen area, he and Kuguru nod at each other before the woman starts on the order she and Baku are used to making every Sunday. Kiri is out at the front, sweeping the floors, and Baku is looking bored at the cash register. Shosetsu takes another moment before he walks to the freezer display and cuts out a slice of cake.

Baku raises an eyebrow at him. Shosetsu couldn't blame him. There are no other customers this evening, and the brunet is well aware the golden eyed man only orders a cup of coffee and a cup of tea.

Shosetsu ignores him however, and uses a tray to carry the slice of cake and the two cups of drinks Kuguru had made. He wonders again whether this is a good idea or not and decides… no, it might not be a good idea, considering he doesn't know how the regular customer will react, but it _is_ his responsibility.

He walks towards the table and sets down the drinks as he announces the orders. The man pays him no heed. The other man with sky blue hair is looking down at his hands. Shosetsu takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He sets the plate with the cake down and says, "…and a blueberry cheesecake, sir."

That shakes the man out of his daydream.

The golden eyed man turns to look at the cake, his eyebrows furrowed as if the cake offended him. Shosetsu can hear that Kiri has stopped sweeping. He can feel the stares of his co-workers behind his head too. He controls his breathing to keep calm.

"But I… I didn't…"

"I know, sir. But it was he who requested it." Shosetsu says and turns his head to look at the spirit of the lonesome man's partner. The blue-haired man gasps, looking so much in disbelief that his jaw drops. Shosetsu believes there are tears in his eyes too. He mutters, _"You… can see me?"_

Shosetsu nods. He turns his attention back to the other one. "I know it's not my place to say this, sir, but… You need to let the past go. You need to let _him_ go. Every time you return here to this café, on this exact time and day, he will be here with you. Even as I speak right now, he is in front of you; sitting in the same place he always has."

There is a silence.

"I am not telling you to forget him. He is important to you," he continues. Shosetsu flicks his eyes to the blue-haired man before settling them again on the golden eyed man. "And you are important to him. I can sense years of good memories between you both, precious memories that you would not trade anything in the world for. But you have mourned too long. Both of you need peace, and your beloved will only be able to move on once _you_ do."

He tried to explain it all as clear as he can. Words had never been his forte, and his nerves are killing him slowly inside. But he'll still try. Over and over again, he will.

Those golden eyes finally meet his and he swears he sees the man breaking inside. Or is it broken? His eyes well up as he looks at the seat across him. A teardrop falls. "He's… He's here?"

It is an emotional moment for the both of them, as the spirit himself covers one side of his face with a hand. A teardrop falls, and he clenches his other hand into a fist.

"He is."

He doesn't dare to tell the living man that he's crying.

The golden eyed man's face turns into a grimace as he buries his hand in his hair, pulling just slightly. He bites his lip, shakes his head, as if trying to ascertain whether or not Shosetsu is lying. Shosetsu is ready for any kind of lash, any kind of insult or outburst. He's been through a lot of those before, and it still hurts, but he can make through it.

But what surprises him is that the golden eyed man calms down instead.

He doesn't smile, but there's a glint in his eyes that gives them a shine compared to the dull gold that had settled there before. He slowly slides his hand across the table and stops midway, his palm facing upwards.

"Tasuku…?"

The spirit sniffs and, almost just as slowly, he places his hand over the other and grips his fingers. _"Gao…"_

The other winces when his hand is touched by the spirit, and Shosetsu understands. The touch of a spirit is cold and harsh, no matter what kind of spirit they are. It stings. As discreetly as he can, he takes one step backwards, to give the two a little bit more space.

Gao is silent. His eyes are still on the seat in front of him, as if trying to see. Shosetsu knows he can't. He wishes there was a way to. The spirit, Tasuku, is staring right into Gao's eyes, and Shosetsu can see the hope in his face.

Gao grins. He smiles so brightly that for a moment the area seems to lighten up.

Tasuku laughs. The hand that's on Gao's seems to tighten its hold. He wipes the few remaining tears away from his eyes. _"I was hoping I could see your smile one last time…"_

Shosetsu blinks. And Gao is alone.

The silence comes once again, longer this time but not burdening. It is a light kind of silence, a silence that appears after a good moment is over. Shosetsu contemplates going back into the kitchen now but decides against it. That would be too crude of him.

"He's not here anymore, is he?" Gao speaks up so suddenly that Shosetsu thought he was talking to himself.

He nods, but when he realizes Gao isn't looking at him, he says, "He's moved on, yes."

Gao's hand that had been touching the spirit's curls into a gentle fist. He opens it and closes it again, as if testing whether it's a fake or not.

"If you don't mind me asking…" Shosetsu starts. "Earlier, you seemed to have believed me so easily. Why is that?"

Gao smiles gently, a contrast to the bright grin he displayed earlier. He stares at his hand that held Tasuku's. "I guess… I sort of always knew."

"I see."

Shosetsu is about to excuse himself, when Gao turns in his seat to face him. Their eyes lock and Shosetsu can see a world of new possibilities in Gao's, of hopes and a new future.

"Thanks, man." Gao says. His nose twitches and his eyes wells up again. He looks away. "If you hadn't come around…" he sniffs and Shosetsu knows it's time to give the man his privacy.

He nods and manages a smile. He doesn't say anything in return, but simply bows and turns on his heels.

He can hear the man sobbing behind his back as he's walking away.


End file.
